Tourism Numbers in Panama Don't Match

Tourism companies have denounced underspending in the budget for international promotion of the country and assert that the official figures for hotel occupancy are not real.

Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Industry representatives argue that the hotel occupancy rate published by the Tourism Authority merely represents a sample of some large hotels in the capital ", while data from hotels in the interior of the country are not even taken into account in the statistics. Added to this problem is the low implementation of the budget for marketing tourism in the country. According to a report by the ATP, "... as of April 30, 2015, not a single penny has been invested of the $2 million earmarked for the development of Panama as a country brand."

For example, Panamaamerica.com.pa reports that "... In the category of advertising campaigns only 2% of the $6.1 million budget allocated to the ATP has been executed, i.e. $131,251.85"

Sara Pardo, president of the Panamanian Association of Hotels (Apatel) said (regarding the employment rate) that "... the numbers are just a sample of some large hotels in the capital, they are not real numbers, as those in the interior are not recorded by the ATP. "

"... Businesswoman Ursula Kiener agrees with Pardo, saying that hotel occupancy in the capital is 50% and in the interior, 30%. However, she said that this is just a taste of the real situation because if you take into account small and medium hotels, occupancy only reaches 40%. "

¿Busca soluciones de inteligencia comercial para su empresa?

Do you need more information about your business sector?

Request more information:









this site is protected by reCAPTCHA and Google's privacy policy and terms of service.
Need assistance? Contact us
(506) 4001-6423


More on this topic

Hotel Price War Continues in Panama

March 2015

While occupancy rates and average prices continue to fall, the Panamanian hotel market is preparing to increase its supply by another 1,200 rooms at the end of the year.

The Panamanian Association of Hotels (Apatel) reports that in recent years there has been a 209% increase in the number of rooms available in the country, in contrast to demand which has only grown by 5% annually.

Panama: Hotel Supply Exceeds Demand

December 2011

More rooms on offer will mean a 50% occupancy rate for hotels in the coming year.

Just this year over 600 rooms have joined the market with the openings of various hotels like the Trump, Victoria and Hilton Doubletree.

Hotel industry projections indicated that in October there would be an increase of 4% as a result of the climate change convention held in the capital city that month, but the occupancy rate reached 62.3% while in same month of 2010 it was 68.4%.

Still Not Enough Tourists For So Many Hotels

August 2011

Hotel occupancy in Panama has dropped by two percentage points in the first months of the year, and it is estimated that by 2012 the occupancy rate will fall to 38%.

In the race for growth between the number of tourists arriving in Panama, and the supply of available beds, the latter is winning, and it is estimated that it wont be until 2016 that the current occupancy rates are achieved again.

Too Many Hotels in Panama?

April 2011

If growth in the number of tourists doesn’t reach 25% per year, hotel occupancy will fall from the 74% seen in the first quarter of 2001, to just 50% over the coming years.

Panama is growing and so are the number of hotels, which in 2012 will be offering over 27 thousand rooms.

ok


Costa Rica ECO-Residential Development & Business

Real Estate Development & Adventure Park Jacó, Costa Rica. Multiple Investment Opportunities Available.
The Ocean Ranch eco-residential development is located...

Stock Indexes

(Apr 6)
Dow Jones
-5.60%
S&P 500
-5.10%
Nasdaq
-5.64%

Commodities

(Jan 21)
Brent Crude Oil
87.070
Coffee "C"
237.55
Gold
1,836
Silver
24.26